Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Slashes Estimated Trade-In Values of iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch Models Overnight
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
That does seem extremely odd...if you have the stainless steel or ceramic version for example, why wouldn't you receive a higher trade-in value over someone that only has the aluminum version since you paid far more which means your watch is of higher value?
Some models of the Series 4 watch retailed at well over a $1,000 but they are offering a maximum of $100 just a year later. I don’t care how many lessons in economics you have had, that is massive depreciation in such a short period of time.
If your car dealer offered only $10,000 for a car that they had sold you for $100,000 a year ago would you accept it?
So "generous" that there is no way that I will be upgrading my iPad Pro, Watch or XR any time this year or next. That's the way incentives work. Cut them and they are definitionally less attractive and taken advantage of.
This is generally true for all products and even trading into other outlets. The two best ones I've found are www.itsworthmore.com and www.qualitymacs.com.
iPhones, iPads, and other portables are best valued at www.itsworthmore.com. iMacs, MacBooks, seem to be better valued at www.qualitymacs.com. What I like about them is that you can specify more details, such as AppleCare, custom build options, etc. They will value accordingly. I got $400 plus more trading in an iMac recently.
For those that have something to sell, based on personal experience, I've really liked using https://macmeanoffer.com. They will buy phones, macs, apple watches, etc. When I needed to sell, Apple's offering was so much lower than what I was seeing on other sites. But it felt super scary to go the eBay route or how to even choose from the dozen sites that buy these used products. But I decided to go for it, and I used them twice in 2019 for an iPhone, and for a MacBook. It went super smoothly and I highly recommend them based on my experiences.
On the site, you fill out the info of your device like normal (like whether you have the original box, original cables, etc.) and it will give you an estimate. But it'll say to wait until the next business day for the final estimate to be created by a person (based on what you're including and any special notes), along with a prepaid shipping label that I believe they want you to ship within 3 days of receiving the quote. Otherwise, if it expires, you can request a new quote. I did this once when I couldn't get my Macbook wiped in time, so I did another quote a week later and got quoted the same amount, no problem.
I'll say that for my phone, since I did not have the original box, they took off about $10 from the original quote to when their employee sent me the final quote with a shipping label. It was still better than anyone else, so I sent it off. For my mac mini, since I did have the original box, the estimate was spot on. After shipping, a few days after they received the package I got an email saying everything was as described and they were sending the payment. A few days later I received the check in the mail. I believe they offer PayPal as an alternative, but they make us eat the 2.9%ish fee, so I was hesitant with requesting a check, but both times I chose check it was fine.
They seem to especially offer a bit more for slightly older hardware, as 'last years model' seems to be a little closer, but still higher.
On the site, you fill out the info of your device like normal (like whether you have the original box, original cables, etc.) and it will give you an estimate. But it'll say to wait until the next business day for the final estimate to be created by a person (based on what you're including and any special notes), along with a prepaid shipping label that I believe they want you to ship within 3 days of receiving the quote. Otherwise, if it expires, you can request a new quote. I did this once when I couldn't get my Macbook wiped in time, so I did another quote a week later and got quoted the same amount, no problem.
I'll say that for my phone, since I did not have the original box, they took off about $10 from the original quote to when their employee sent me the final quote with a shipping label. It was still better than anyone else, so I sent it off. For my mac mini, since I did have the original box, the estimate was spot on. After shipping, a few days after they received the package I got an email saying everything was as described and they were sending the payment. A few days later I received the check in the mail. I believe they offer PayPal as an alternative, but they make us eat the 2.9%ish fee, so I was hesitant with requesting a check, but both times I chose check it was fine.
They seem to especially offer a bit more for slightly older hardware, as 'last years model' seems to be a little closer, but still higher.
Last edited:
Factor in taxes and I paid nearly 1.300€ for my XS Max 64gb, so 430€ in a year is not ok. I’ll keep it for another year and my wife would be happy to have it - more value that way. Battery is still 96%.
The trade-in for iPad Pros seems particularly stingy. I realize these are now 2-3 year old models, but $220 for a 512GB device that retailed between $1,250 and $1,400 is definitely the lowest trade-in to retail price ratio. There's more trade-in value from an iPhone 8, and I can't imagine these hold their value longer than an iPad Pro. It feels like owners of these devices are being pushed to eBay or Craig's List.
I bought my new phone and arranged trade in on Christmas so good thing I didn’t wait 3 weeks. Just processed yesterday. I did the trade in since Apple store couldn’t open phone to replace battery and I didn’t want to wait until failure since value would go down. And I didn’t want to stick someone else with phone with stripped screw.
[automerge]1578681426[/automerge]
my X had a battery the Apple store couldn’t replace. If they had I would have just kept it. So I wouldn’t feel right selling it.
[automerge]1578681544[/automerge]
I was told at store the screw wouldn’t affect trade in. At least it was confirmed yesterday. But phone had undergone inspection at store before battery replacement attempt.
[automerge]1578681426[/automerge]
my X had a battery the Apple store couldn’t replace. If they had I would have just kept it. So I wouldn’t feel right selling it.
[automerge]1578681544[/automerge]
I was told at store the screw wouldn’t affect trade in. At least it was confirmed yesterday. But phone had undergone inspection at store before battery replacement attempt.
Last edited:
Sometimes companies provide a higher trade in price as an anchor for resale value. By keeping resale value high, it’s an easier purchase for the customers.
Apple’s resale value is going down y2y
I'm finding that simply not paying full retail price, for anything, is the way to go. The lower I can buy at in the first place the less downward pressure on the trade-in/resale value affects me. For instance, I purchased a XS 64GB for 679€ (including 21% sales tax which I'll get back) so the most I can lose on it is 561€ if the value of it goes to 0€… which is won't unless I break it. It would be greatly different if I have paid full retail through 2018/2019.
While true, is it in line with other sites? I’m guessing yes.Massive depreciation for the Apple Watch.
[automerge]1578683768[/automerge]
The oh so bad “They” behind every thing not fitting expectations.
Where's all the outrage? People were incensed when Sonos offered up discounts for trading in their old devices for recycling. Apple is offering a pittance for devices, taking them out of the secondary marketplace and people are happy about it?
Up to $150 for an iPhone 7+? I can sell it for more than that privately, keep it working in the hands of someone who can make use of it, and keep the 2nd hand market in good shape.
Apple is just trying to get second hand devices off the market. Smart people buy used iPhones, not new. I'm still using an iPhone 7+ happily, having paid USD$350 or so ($500 CAD) for it almost 2 years ago. Shows no sign of slowing down.
Apple is screwing consumers over with these 'offers'. Sell your phone privately - keep the supply in the 2nd hand market high and prices low.
Reducing supply in the 2nd hand market just drives prices up, encouraging more people to buy new phones vs. used which keeps Tim Cook's accountants happy.
Up to $150 for an iPhone 7+? I can sell it for more than that privately, keep it working in the hands of someone who can make use of it, and keep the 2nd hand market in good shape.
Apple is just trying to get second hand devices off the market. Smart people buy used iPhones, not new. I'm still using an iPhone 7+ happily, having paid USD$350 or so ($500 CAD) for it almost 2 years ago. Shows no sign of slowing down.
Apple is screwing consumers over with these 'offers'. Sell your phone privately - keep the supply in the 2nd hand market high and prices low.
Reducing supply in the 2nd hand market just drives prices up, encouraging more people to buy new phones vs. used which keeps Tim Cook's accountants happy.
I got $400 for my iPhone 8 Plus back on Thanksgiving when I upgraded to an 11. I'm glad I did so because I assumed the value would be going down soon.
What I don't get is why they don't have more models for sale in their refurbished section. I think they could do really well here but the greed of pushing people to new devices is blatantly obvious.
